photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

The Free State football team runs onto the field to continue its postponed game against Olathe North on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

If the City Showdown wasn’t already an important enough game for Free State football, Friday night’s rivalry matchup has important seeding and league implications at stake.

The Firebirds (5-2) are coming off their first league loss, a 35-14 defeat to Olathe North this past week. Free State coach Kevin Stewart says that the game against Lawrence is an opportunity to finish the season off strong and claim the Sunflower League championship.

“Really, it’s about finishing what you started,” Stewart said. “Last week, we didn’t do that; we didn’t finish it. So, this week, we have another opportunity to finish it.”

Despite Lawrence being winless on the season, Stewart has made it a point to his group not to overlook the Lions, especially with the talent they have on the offensive side of the ball with key contributors like quarterback Joey Dooley, running back Tahj Edwards and wide receiver Jaxon Becker.

“I think they’re a good football team,” Stewart said. “They’ve been in every single game and their offense is good. Our challenge on defense is trying to stop their offense and trying to do a good job with that.”

In the loss to Olathe North last week, the Firebirds struggled to contain the run and match the physicality of the Eagles’ offensive line, allowing 304 rushing yards. On the other end, the Lions ran for 248 yards in last week’s loss at Shawnee Mission North, and have been able to establish the run all season long.

To win, Free State has to be able to control the rushing attack, which is something the team has been working on all week in preparation.

“Being physical at the line of scrimmage (and) stopping the run game,” Stewart said. “They do a nice job with the counter game, they do a nice job with some zone reads.”

Stewart added that the multiple formations that the Lions run could add some challenges, especially with the heavy-run and extra-gap formations.

The Firebirds saw some of those extra-gap formations last week, such as those that include two running backs and a tight end. The unfamiliarity of these looks made it difficult for the defense to adjust in time.

“There were several times that we just weren’t in our gaps,” Stewart said. “That made it hard to make plays, and that allowed (Olathe North) to gain some yards.”

Offensively, the emphasis for Free State is to get back to its normal rhythm and play error-free football. Against the Eagles, the offense was able to move the ball, but couldn’t finish drives due to turnovers and penalties that hadn’t previously been major issues.

“Our offense has shown, and they know, ‘We can score on everybody.’ It’s just a matter of, ‘Do we do it consistently?'” Stewart said. “We got uncharacteristic a little bit and that’s really what was the difference.”

Last season, the Firebirds defeated the Lions 24-14, and they would like to extend the streak to two consecutive wins, but the bigger picture for the Firebirds is setting themselves up for a long playoff run.

“Yes, Lawrence High is a big game, it’s a big rivalry, but really, we’ve got an opportunity here that we may not always have, that if we win this week, we get a favorable matchup in the first round at home,” Stewart said. “But we’ve got to win this game first. If we don’t win this game, it’s going to be hard to climb out of that hole in the playoffs.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Lawrence High School.